Home-Cured Corned Beef

Originally from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing.

Ingredients

3/4 cups kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons pink salt, optional

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons pickling spice

1 5-pound beef brisket

1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in two

1 celery stalk, roughly chopped

Instructions

In pot large enough to hold brisket, combine ½ gallon of water with kosher salt, sugar, pink salt, garlic and 2 tablespoons pickling spice. Bring to a simmer, stirring until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.

Place brisket in brine, weighted with a plate to keep it submerged; cover. Refrigerate for 5 days. Remove brisket from brine and rinse thoroughly. Place in a pot just large enough to hold it. Cover with water and add remaining pickling spice, carrot, onion and celery. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer gently until brisket is fork-tender, about 3 hours, adding water if needed to cover brisket.

When almost done can add cabbage, potatoes, and carrots for traditional Corned Beef dinner. Keep warm until ready to serve. Meat can be refrigerated for several days in cooking liquid. Reheat in the liquid or serve chilled. Slice thinly and serve on a sandwich or with additional vegetables simmered until tender in the cooking liquid.